“HENRY + THE INVISIBLES has done it again with his latest sexy, funk release VIBEZ.”Synth heavy and guitar rock driven… a fresh and edgy sound from the One Man Funk Band! Definitely a party playlist addition.

Austin's original "One Man Funk Band" announces the upcoming release of the Summer's hottest instrumental beat tape; official release show at One-2-One Bar

(AUSTIN, TEXAS - June 14, 2018) - Austin's very own "One Man Funk Band" Henry + The Invisibles (Henry Roland) is thrilled to announce the release of his entirely instrumental beat tape, "Beatz The Heat," on Thursday, June 21.Inspired by Beat Scene producers like J Dilla and Madlib, "Beatz The Heat" contains 14 brand new funk and soul-filled tracks that pair perfectly with the summer vibes; whether at the beach, the pool, or on a bike ride down the boardwalk, this tape will be the idyllic summer sound to groove to. Henry single-handedly produced, edited and performed live instruments on the tape. There will be an official CD release party on Tuesday, June 26 at One-2-One Bar,located at 1509 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin, Texas 78704. Tickets are free, but capacity is limited. For more information on the show see here. There will be an official "Beatz The Heat" vinyl release this July 2018, with more information to be announced. Earlier in 2018, Henry released his roller skating anthem "Let's Bounce" which was featured as KUTX Song of the Day on March 30. To catch a recap of Henry's electric live performances, see here. For more information on Henry + The Invisibles, please see: www.henryinvisible.com.

"After producing a few albums and quite a few singles since my debut EP 'Onemanphunkband' in 2010, I wanted to challenge myself with a different style of record... one which I have always wanted to create," said Henry + The Invisibles(aka Henry Roland). "'Beatz The Heatz' is my first fully instrumental self produced beat tape."

"Multi-instrumentalist Henry Roland is quickly changing what it means to be a one man band," said Jack Anderson, KUTX 91.7FM Host. "Based out of Austin, Henry + The Invisibles incorporates the sheer songwriting finesse of Elton John with the technical virtuosity of Jimi Hendrix in his loop-based arrangements. Roland's abilities on guitar, bass, keys, and vocals coalesce for high-energy performances filled with seamless transitions between instruments and songs - all while the man himself has the time of his life onstage."

Today, Austin's funk-master is releasing a brand new single titled Lets Bounce. Let’s Bounce is a stimulating, disco funk infused song best listened to while gliding around the roller rink beneath the shimmer of a disco ball. “Funk disco roller skating grooves are my favorite style of music,” says Henry. ” Let’sBounce is my homage to the music that makes me most happy in life.” Henry spent the majority of his youth roller skating and skateboarding on the streets of New York and rediscovered his love for skating when he moved to Austin. Let’s Bounce is an energetic track with a nostalgic edge that’s guaranteed to make you groove. Henry was the sole multi-instrumentalist, engineer and producer for Let’s Bounce , which remains true for all of his music.

Austin has some incredible, one-of-a-kind acts. But even amongst the most well regarded acts in the city, Henry + The Invisibles stands in a league of his own. His live show commands enormous praise and respect from everyone on the receiving end of his high-energy freight train of funk. Henry used to have a backing band to play the myriad of instrumentals that fill up his songs. But, as the story goes, he grew bored of managing the members of his band; getting them in line and on beat was a task unto itself. So, he decided, "why try teaching a backing band what's in my head if I can simply figure out a way to play everything at once with no backing band whatsoever?" Thus: Henry + The Invisibles was born. If you happen to be in Austin in a few weeks for SXSW 2018, it is imperative that you witness Henry as he plays the role of 5 people at once on-stage.

Multi-instrumentalist Henry Roland is quickly changing what it means to be a one man band. Based out of Austin, Henry + The Invisibles incorporates the sheer songwriting finesse of Elton John with the technical virtuosity of Jimi Hendrix in his loop-based arrangements. Roland’s abilities on guitar, bass, keys, and vocals coalesce for high-energy performances filled with seamless transitions between instruments and songs – all while the man himself has the time of his life onstage.

Recently the world was graced by Henry + The Invisibles’ debut full-length album, MUSAIC, which showcases Roland’s songwriting and performance talents as well as the undeniable fluidity of his songs when heard in succession. While MUSAIC covers a lot of sonic territory with a complete listen, the sophomore track “Whoa” exhibits everything that makes Henry stand out: smooth R&B vocals over a chopped up jazz piano sample (evocative of ’90s hip-hop) and a funky bassline culminating in a sing-song-y rap verse and a soulful saxophone solo.

If you’re looking for musical inspiration that will walk you through an inner-self journey, look no further. Local one man phunk bandHenry + The Invisibles’ new album–MUSAIC–is set to release this Saturday (Sept. 17).

Henry + The Invisibles is an Austin based band that has the effect of a five-piece funk ensemble but is really just one man, Henry Roland. Henry started this endeavor after playing with numerous bands in Austin and New York. He realized that he not only didn’t want to deal with bass players not showing up to gigs and unreliable third parties, but he didn’t need to. H+TI made its debut with the EP Onemanphunkband in 2010.

Each song that Henry + The Invisibles releases takes a step further from sounding like the one man loop track that people take it for, and a giant leap towards the sound of a stand alone band. Now, we are ready to finally experience the first full-length album from him. In an interview with Austin360, Henry said that he feels the concept of healing would be prominent theme throughout MUSAIC.

On Vinyl had the opportunity to get a sneak preview of the new, highly-anticipated album. So lets dive in, shall we?

“Whoa,” the second track on the album, is a quintessential example of the groove we are used to getting from Henry. This song has all the parts: tantalizing vocals, a great sax solo, piano and even a little bit of rap. It was pre-released for your listening pleasure here.

Vocals, bass and drums are the stars in the next couple tunes. “If You Were, I Would” is a love ballad that hangs on the edge of the back beat. “You Made It” has that same feel but this time the lyrics are all about personal freedom and living life for yourself. Talk about soul, Henry adds flute and scatting into the mix, and man does it work.

Skip forward after a couple of higher tempo jams about living for yourself and your future, and the album makes a turn into the home stretch. We now get a live version of his song “Inspire.” Hearing the crowd kind of gave my ears a breather from the studio sound and brought great energy to the middle of the album. This song has a lot of diversity between the voice that H+TI uses for the verses, chorus and bridge, and the lyrics are all about that person in your life that brings you inspiration.

A track later, “Equinox” freakin’ steals the show. Twinkling synth supports a beautiful vocal line with some seriously meaningful lyrics about changing this world we live in and finding some peace. Favorite line: “How many pages must we really have to turn before the same lesson is finally learned?” Okay Henry, now you are speaking to my soul.

“Long Way Home” follows “Equinox” and doesn’t disappoint by any means. This song really sounds like five guys jamming; I don’t know how he does it. Add on to that the lyrics about this crazy journey we call life and the picture of “healing music” is definitely starting to come to fruition.

“Fly On” is a little bit about loss and a whole lot about relationships. The most beautiful thing is that H+TI can encompass these deep rooted lyrics inside of complex and intriguing rhythms and harmonies. That shines clearly through in this song.

In the end, a solid album by one man on his own. Henry did the musical job of ten men, and he has opened a new window for everyone living this crazy life to go to for some healing and balance.

Henry Roland is an Austin music lifer. He logged his first gig on Sixth Street at the legendary old Austin dive, the Black Cat Lounge, when he was just 16. During the ’90s, he played in the regionally popular funk outfit Gingbreadmen, before decamping to NYC for nearly a decade in 1997. When he returned town in 2006, he briefly messed around with rock ‘n’ roll in a band called Starchild, before diving back into his funk roots, this time as a solo act. “I wanted to experiment with how far I could push the looping envelope,” he says. “As far as songs with ‘verse/ pre-chorus/ chorus’.. that sort of song structure that is not common with conventional looping.”

He started playing gigs as a one man band in 2009 and rapidly built a solid following with his energetic live shows. His debut full-length as Henry + the Invisibles, “Musaic,” is due out on Saturday, Sept. 17, and he’ll celebrate at Empire Garage that night. The first single “Whoa” is a funky love song, featuring saxophone licks from Jeff Dazey, who also plays with Leon Bridges.

We caught up with Roland to find out a little more about the release and what’s next for his “Onemanphunkband.”

Austin360: Intricate layers of sound are so integral to funk music. As someone who used to make these sort of songs with a large band, what have you learned about yourself as a musician doing it solo?

Henry Roland: When I first started H+TI, I realized that in order to make the kind of music I wanted to hear I first had to get in some serious practice time. Although I had been a bassist in a few bands while living in NYC, the kind of funk bass I aspired to play was something I had to work for… still am. I also hadn’t played much piano in a live setting until H+TI… or created beats on a drum machine for that matter. I rented out a rehearsal space (a hospital ward in an old pre-war building that used to be a bomb factory… haha, I miss that place sometimes) and basically locked myself up there for about 2 years. It was there I finished my first EP, focused on my craft and made my looping station… what I now call “The Spaceship".

I guess you could say I learned that with focus and diligence those kinds of musical goals, and I suppose most everything in life, are truly obtainable and ultimately rewarding.

How many instruments do you play and what’s the max you get going at one time on stage?

At a live show I’ll play the keys, guitar, bass, percussion pads, drum machine and I sing… soon to add the alto sax. I try to incorporate the variety of instruments differently for each song and most times use all that I mentioned. Sometimes playing a timbale solo while hitting some accompaniment on the keyboards, or a bass solo while keeping steady on the kick drum. I try to challenge myself with tricky combinations, as far as rhythm syncopation and harmony, and work those kinds of moments in my show. It definitely keeps me on my toes!

Obviously, the financial logistics of touring as a solo act must make a lot of sense, but is it harder to rock a crowd by yourself?

I can honestly say that after having lead a few high energy bands in the past, getting the crowd lit by myself seems quite natural to me. I feel the synergy from an enthusiastic crowd the same way I would feel the on-stage energy when performing with bandmates… it really is a beautiful thing to have that sort of reciprocity with a vibrant audience.

You talk about how the process of putting this album together included “healing myself with the messages of this music.” What do you mean by that and what do you hope other folks take from the album?

Yes, I feel most messages to be healing on this record… “You Made It” talks about how we are in control of our destiny, whether you believe it or not. “Future” talks about the realization to take action in life. “Inspire” talks about that person or people that inspire you most… in this case I was singing about my fans, but the message could be translated in many ways. “Equinox” is a peace anthem for the World we live in… Lord knows we need it. “Long Way Home”, one of my favorites on the record, is all about the journey we call life and the lessons we learn along the way. “Fly On” is about the loss of a loved one and partly about a relationship that has drifted apart… and there are more tales of life which I feel we all experience and could use some music to help make some sense of it all.

I think the beauty of poetry is that personal interpretation will speak to whomever needs the message needed at that time. My hope is that folks are going to appreciate some thoughtful lyrics with some solid grooviness and that the songs will help in some way to make life a bit brighter, and to remind folks to hang in there and to keep love strong in their hearts… and, of course, with the party tracks on this record to start dance parties in their living rooms!

“MUSAIC” is a collection of these emotions and stories that when given a moment to reflect, one will see the big picture of life… or musaic, in this case. Here is my definition I made for the word: MU·SA·IC – /myoo͞ˈzāik/ noun – A picture, pattern, or concept produced by the imagination created by the arrangement of vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to conjure beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.

To define the definition of what I feel this album means to me is a great joy. It makes sense. I mean, years of work have gone into this record... the practice and writing process (my favorite part, btw) the production and concept, and this time, the entire engineering side of the desk. Although I mixed the demos for "ONEMANPHUNKBAND", I took the journey much further this time to challenge myself to make my own record from start to finish... playing all of the instruments (aside from Jeff Dazey's saxophone solo on "WHOA"), tweakin the knobs and making some good music. Choppin' beats, laying vocal harmonies... but most of all, healing myself with the messages of this music.

There is a learning curve, no doubt, and by all means have so far to go... but this record was an incredible journey for myself and those in close proximity. So much in my life that needed true reflection... poems that needed musical accompaniment and beats that needed bass and riffs... and so on. All mixed in are the many stories of love, laughter and loss.

When you look back at life at any given moment, you realize that we are here now. At this very moment. And it's amazing when you think about it.

When the pieces of experience in my heart had the time to resonate, I started to envision this album in hopes that the music and messages would speak to you the way they speak for me.

So here is my mashup of a definition for love, life and music if you could imagine them in a mirrored mosaic:

MU·SA·IC- /myo͞oˈzāik/ noun A picture, pattern, or concept produced by the imagination created by the arrangement of vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to conjure beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.

Yes.

I just would like to say THANK YOU for taking time to read this. In such a busy World, I feel honored to have you sit a minute and check out the sights and sounds.